1. Childhood grief Hanah Cummings PSY-1100 Lifespan Growth & Development
Salt Lake Community College

2. What is grief?
Grief
The powerful sorrow that an individual feels at the death of another
Understanding grief is important because we are living in a time where grief is no longer talked about openly & people are suffering with the feeling that they are alone in this process. Letting children learn how to grieve healthy is important & needed when they reach adulthood.

3. Differences between adult & childhood grief
Children
Adults
Grief is cyclical and can reoccur with each new stage of development
Children will have unacceptable behavior which is them expressing themselves because they don’t know why they are feeling the way they do
Better at expressing themselves & what they need
Understand that in time things change
Have life-experiences
Built-in support systems

4. Main stages of grief Shock and Numbness Acute Grief
Denial
Shock and Numbness
Acute Grief
Sadness, anger, depression, guilt or fear
Adjustment
Acceptance and comes to terms with the death

5. When will children experience grief?
Nagy (1948) Broke this down into 3 stages by age
Stage 1 (ages 3-5)
Children think that their loved one has just moved away
Stage 2 (ages 5-9)
Death can be avoided entirely
Stage 3 (ages 9-10)
Understand that death effects all living things, it’s permanent and inevitable

6. How Grieving Effects children
Be honest with kids about what happened, them then know its ok to talk about it
Child may revert back to bed wetting because of stress
Child may act out for attention because of a change in their environment
Regression

7. Activities to help children cope with grief
They can draw pictures that remind them of their loved ones and keep them in their room, or they can take them up to the gravesite
Decorate the grave for holiday’s to keep this person part of your family
Group Counseling with other children can help them understand that they are not the only ones going through this
Looking at pictures or videos of the loved one

8. Teaching children how to properly cope with grief is important because
Summary
Teaching children how to properly cope with grief is important because
It’s important so when they come to grieving again in life they will have life experiences to associate it with and if they we’re taught how to do it healthy they can continue to grieve healthy
Prolonged stress from emotions can cause problem in childhood, including cognitive impairments, poor regulation of emotions, physical and mental disorders
This happens because the child’s brain is so fragile in this stage of life
If grief is done in a healthy way they can understand that with time the pain will lessen and they will adjust to a new life
If they have a positive influence who they can go to when they experience grief the first time they will understand that there are people to go to the next time
They will understand it is healthy to cry and have emotions if you let them as a child

9. Why I chose this topic
I decided to do this topic because I have recently been watching my niece through her grieving process with the death of my daughter. We realized many thing that we should have been open about with her and the way we we’re telling her was confusing her. As she started going through new stages of development she would revert back to her grief and revisit it and show it in a new way each time.
Through this we realized how important it is to teach a child how to grieve properly and let them know it was ok to talk about it and want to go visit them at the cemetery. It was okay if she wanted to go and talk to her and draw her pictures.
It came back around full force because we didn’t allow her to grieve properly and now that we addressed it she has reached the stage where she understands it’s permanent and it is a natural part of life.

10. References
Moore, Susan M.A. (n.d). Stage of Grief in Children. Retrieved from
n_E-Pa.pdf
Willis, Clarissa (June 2002). The Grieving Process in Children: Strategies for Understanding, Educating, and Reconciling Children’s Perceptions of Death. Retrieved from
American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (July 2013). Fact for Families: Children and Grief. Retrieved from
nd_grief.pdf
Staussen-Berger, K. (2010). Invitation to the Life Span